]]>Dear EarthTalk: Driving around and around city blocks looking for parking seems like a colossal waste of fuel (and time). Is anyone working on ways to reduce this extra traffic and emissions burden?

—Bernice Mickelson, New York, NY

It’s true that we waste lots of gas and time—and create lots of stress for ourselves—in the constant search for parking spaces. UCLA urban planning professor Donald Shoup and his students observed hundreds of cars driving around four sites in Los Angeles’s bustling Westwood Village, a commercial district next to the UCLA campus, and found about one in three drivers was “cruising” in search of a spot. On average, each cruising driver spent only 3.3 minutes on the hunt over about a half-mile in distance — but the numbers add up quickly, given that some 8,000 cars park in Westwood Village each day.

SpotOn Parking is trying to help parking spot owners and drivers connect to reduce “cruising” and ease congestion on the crowded streets of San Francisco. Credit: Chris Chabot, FlickrCC.

“Over a year, cruising in Westwood Village creates 950,000 excess VMT [vehicle miles traveled]—equivalent to 38 trips around the earth, or four trips to the moon,” says Shoup. This excess mileage in just one small business district waste some 47,000 gallons of gasoline while producing 730 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Shoup thinks crowded metro areas should increase the price of street parking to make it cost as much or more than commercial or private parking garages so as to discourage all this wasteful cruising and force drivers into dedicated parking facilities where they won’t slow down other motorists. Luckily there’s a slew of new services that make it easier than ever to park responsibly. BestParking, Parking Panda, Parker, ParkWhiz and ParkMe each provide users with access to hundreds of garages and lots in major cities across the U.S. through easy-to-use Smartphone interfaces. SpotHero works on a similar model but also offers up its own dedicated discounted spots in select parking facilities. Meanwhile, SpotOn Parking is using San Francisco as a testing ground for its new service connecting drivers with property owners looking to monetize under-utilized parking spots. Users of the free SpotOn app can search for available spaces nearby—and reserve and pay with the click of a virtual button. Of course, another way to reduce the need to park is to embrace public transit and ridesharing. If you ride the bus or train—or walk or bike—you won’t have to waste time or fuel looking to park. Another way to avoid parking hassles is by using Uber or Lyft, or by joining a car-share service like Zipcar which provides dedicated parking spots all around town for its vehicles. At the meta level, American cities could follow the lead of some of their forward-thinking European counterparts like Antwerp and Zurich which have significantly reduced the overall number of (private and public) parking spaces available, in turn leading to a measurable downturn in vehicle miles travelled within city limits. If people have nowhere to park, they won’t bother driving their own car into the city. While encouraging people to use public transit, car sharing or at least parking apps is a step in the right direction, policy changes that reduce the number of spots altogether might be our best bet in reducing gas consumption, carbon emissions and the waste of time we all experience hunting for that next parking spot.

]]>Dear EarthTalk: What are some ways I can get my college to be more green?

—Bill Ott, Troy, NY

In recent years, colleges and universities have recognized the capacity for their independent communities to lead the nation as examples of sustainable and carbon-neutral institutions. Colleges in the U.S. and around the world have introduced conservation measures to reduce waste, installed solar panels to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and promoted shared vehicles to reduce carbon emissions, among other initiatives.

Middlebury College students who complete a free class on bicycle repair are rewarded with a free discarded bike. Credit: Robert Keren.

Many colleges have followed the lead of Stanford University’s “Green Campus” program by replacing disposable plastic utensils with organic alternatives. Cutlery made from potato starch and sugarcane allows students to simply put all waste in compost bins, including the utensils themselves. This compost is reintroduced in turn as fertilizer for use on university gardens.

Reusable mug programs accomplish similar goals. At Portland Community College in Oregon, bringing your own mug gets you a five-cent discount per drink, while other colleges with meal plans offer similar incentive programs. And efforts to reduce waste aren’t limited to the dining hall. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University have partnered with Kimberly-Clark Professional’s RightCycle program to recycle non-hazardous lab waste. Since joining the program in 2013, the colleges have redirected six tons of plastic waste from landfills for use as shelving, flowerpots and furniture.

Meanwhile, 48 different colleges—from Harvard to UC Santa Cruz—have signed on with the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), which helps universities reduce waste through plastic-free initiatives, waste audits and move-in/move-out collections and subsequent sales.

Universities can also employ renewable energies to offset power demands from fossil fuels. Campus solar installations have risen dramatically in the past decade. Large, tall structures—the style of many academic buildings—are ideal locations for photovoltaic panels, especially as peak electrical production correlates with peak demand during daytime hours. And photovoltaic installations are not limited to sunny states; Colby College completed a 1.9 megawatt project in 2015 that is currently the largest system in Maine.

Other forms of renewable energy have also seen tremendous success on college campuses. A University of New Hampshire project provides over 80 percent of its energy using landfill gas. And Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana has replaced its outdated coal boilers with 3,750 geothermal wells that utilize the Earth’s interior temperature to regulate heat in campus buildings.

Colleges have also taken steps to green up transportation. Vermont’s Middlebury College introduced its Yellow Bikes Cooperative in 2001 to offer public bicycles to students for just $6 per year. And students there who complete a free class on bicycle repair are rewarded with a free discarded bike. Many colleges also now partner with Zipcar to offer student rates, reducing the need for personal vehicles on campus. And dozens of colleges nationwide have replaced campus car and bus fleets with electric vehicles.

These are just a few examples of how higher education is walking the talk on the environment. If your school isn’t already moving in the same direction, there’s no time like the present to team up with students, faculty and administrators to initiate earth-friendly policies and encourage greener behaviors.

]]>https://earthtalk.org/green-colleges/feed/016330EarthTalk Radio: November 2016https://earthtalk.org/juliet-schor/
https://earthtalk.org/juliet-schor/#respondWed, 23 Nov 2016 18:58:41 +0000https://earthtalk.org/?p=16311In this edition of EarthTalk Radio, Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor discusses how the so-called sharing economy is taking over the world, one Uber ride at a time, and what the implications are for the environment...

In this edition of EarthTalk Radio, Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor discusses how the so-called sharing economy is taking over the world, one Uber ride at a time, and what the implications are for the environment.

Back in 1992, Schor created a stir nationally with The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline Of Leisure, which showed that, despite technological advances, Americans are overworked and overstressed. Schor has long argued that a society based on overwork and excessive consumption is unsustainable. Instead, she described in 2010’s Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, a vision of a society that applies technology in an environmentally friendly way, a society that values social bonds, the arts, and leisure over material goods. A n early supporter of the “sharing economy,” Schor has more recently criticized internet platforms purported to be part of that economy that maintain exploitative work relationships. Among her many awards are a MacArthur Foundation Grant, a Radcliffe Institute fellowship, and the Leontief Prize for work on the economics of sustainability. A sociology professor at Boston College, Schor is currently leading a multi-year study of the sharing economy in its many manifestations. EarthTalk’s Ethan Goffman interviewed her via Skype in her office at Boston College…

]]>https://earthtalk.org/juliet-schor/feed/0In this edition of EarthTalk Radio, Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor discusses how the so-called sharing economy is taking over the world, one Uber ride at a time, and what the implications are for the environment...In this edition of EarthTalk Radio, Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor discusses how the so-called sharing economy is taking over the world, one Uber ride at a time, and what the implications are for the environment...EarthTalk.orgclean16311Green Thanksgiving: Eat Less Meat, Buy in Bulkhttps://earthtalk.org/green-thanksgiving/
https://earthtalk.org/green-thanksgiving/#respondWed, 16 Nov 2016 20:42:27 +0000http://earthtalk.org/?p=16296Just because you don’t have to buy & wrap gifts doesn’t mean Thanksgiving is green, but there are lots of ways to make it more that way...

]]>Dear EarthTalk: Any tips for how to make my Thanksgiving greener and less wasteful this year?

—Melissa W., Boston, MA

Ah, Thanksgiving! For many of us, it’s the favorite holiday because it revolves around togetherness and inclusiveness and preparing and eating our favorite foods—and usually doesn’t include any overt commercialism. But just because you don’t have to buy and wrap gifts doesn’t mean Thanksgiving is necessarily green, although there are lots of little things you can do to make it more that way.

Swapping out a traditional turkey with something like Turtle Island Foods’ Tofurky, a pre-cooked tofu-wheat protein blend made without any animal products, is one way to show your environmental commitment this Thanksgiving.

For the rest of us who are still eating meat and can’t celebrate Thanksgiving without some real turkey or tenderloin, just eat less of it and fill up your plate with other healthy vegetable-based sides.

If you’re vegetarian or vegan and going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving, FARM says to let your host know you don’t eat animal products ahead of time: “You can help by asking what you can bring and how you can help prepare the meal.” Go to FARM’s Compassionate Holidays website to download one or more of the group’s holiday-worthy recipes (old-fashioned stuffing, green bean casserole, vegan gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce)—all free of animal products.

Another way to reduce the environmental impact of your Thanksgiving is to shop locally (to reduce the “food miles” and carbon footprint of your dinner) and stick to organic foods (which don’t require harmful pesticides and herbicides to grow). The Nature Conservancy suggests doing as much shopping as possible at local farmers markets and farms: “The plus for you is that local fruits and veggies usually taste better because they’ve been picked at the peak of freshness, rather than shipped from thousands of miles away” and picked before ripening. Finding foods grown sustainably and locally is as easy as steering your web browser to the LocalHarvest.org website and zeroing in on your region on the searchable local foods map.

And then there’s the issue of waste. While Thanksgiving might not be as much of a retail packaging waste nightmare as Christmas, it more than makes up for that in its abundant amounts of food-related waste. Earth911 suggests buying food in bulk if you’re hosting a large crowd so as to reduce packaging waste while saving money—and to bring your own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store so you aren’t reliant on disposable paper or plastic bags. Meanwhile, Harvard University’s Office of Sustainability says that cutting disposable dinnerware, glasses and napkins will also eliminate considerable amounts of waste.

Thanksgiving is a good reminder that we all have a lot to be thankful for, and it only makes sense to show your gratitude to the environment by honoring nature as much as possible—before, during and after your Thanksgiving celebration.

]]>https://earthtalk.org/green-thanksgiving/feed/016296What Will Donald Trump Do About Climate & Environment?https://earthtalk.org/president-trump/
https://earthtalk.org/president-trump/#respondFri, 11 Nov 2016 00:33:40 +0000http://earthtalk.org/?p=16282Dear EarthTalk: What kinds of changes to federal environmental policies can we expect to see from Donald Trump when he assumes the presidency? —D. Shelley, Bounder, CO Like many Americans, environmentalists are alarmed at the results of the 2016 election. What worries them most is Trump’s call for reneging on the landmark Paris climate accord […]

]]>Dear EarthTalk: What kinds of changes to federal environmental policies can we expect to see from Donald Trump when he assumes the presidency?

—D. Shelley, Bounder, CO

Like many Americans, environmentalists are alarmed at the results of the 2016 election. What worries them most is Trump’s call for reneging on the landmark Paris climate accord which secured commitments from the world’s largest polluters to scale back emissions. The agreement just went into force and the U.S. is committed to it for four years, but Trump insiders report The Donald may try to submit the agreement for ratification by an unsympathetic Senate (Obama has maintained ratification isn’t necessary) in efforts to derail U.S. participation.

“If Trump yanks the United States out of the Paris agreement, the deal won’t die, but momentum could wane,” reports Brad Plumer on Vox.com. “One can imagine China and India deciding they don’t need to push nearly as hard on clean energy if the world’s richest and most powerful country doesn’t care. At best, progress would slow. At worst, the entire arrangement could collapse, and we set out on a path for 4°C warming or more.”

Another sore spot for environmentalists is Trump’s attitude toward the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Initially Trump said he would disband the agency, but more recently he said he would keep it in a stripped down form refocused on its “core mission of ensuring clean air, and clean, safe drinking water for all Americans.” Myron Ebell, a leading climate skeptic with the Competitive Enterprise Institute and no friend to the environmental community, is slated to run the new kinder, gentler and leaner EPA.

Meanwhile, proponents of pipelines to move petroleum products from the great gas and oil fields of the northern U.S. and Canada are overjoyed at the Republican sweep of Election 2016. Given Trump’s stated goals of reducing the federal government’s role in energy and environmental policy while encouraging more infrastructure projects to connect production with markets and consumers, environmentalists are bracing for a revival of the much-disputed Keystone XL pipeline project that President Obama rejected last year, as well as a green light for the Dakota Access Pipeline project currently in a holding pattern as native and environmental protestors stage a civil disobedience camp-out nearby. Not surprisingly, shares in the two companies behind the respective projects rallied following the election.

For their part, environmentalists are already starting to refocus on what they can do without the support of the White House. “Under President George W. Bush, the environmental community took the battle to the courts and Congress and watch-dogged political appointees; we blocked attacks on the environment; we galvanized the public to take action,” says Kate Colwell, an activist with the non-profit Friends of the Earth. “After the more recent fights to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, ban fracking and shut down coal plants, the environmental movement is stronger than we have ever been.”

“We will have to harness our new energy, join together, and use every strategy possible to fight against hate and greed and environmental destruction,” she adds. “While I wish we had a different fight before us, we must fight the one presented to us. The future of our country and planet depends on it.”

]]>https://earthtalk.org/president-trump/feed/016282President Trump?!?!?! Now Environmentalists Are *Really* Worried…https://earthtalk.org/president-trump-now-environmentalists-really-worried/
https://earthtalk.org/president-trump-now-environmentalists-really-worried/#respondWed, 09 Nov 2016 20:08:19 +0000http://earthtalk.org/?p=16245With Donald Trump winning the White House, environmentalists are worried about the U.S. pulling out of the Paris climate accord and setting back the clock on conservation efforts by decades.

]]>Like many Americans, environmentalists are alarmed at the results of the 2016 election. With the House and Senate firmly in Republican control and Donald Trump ascending to the White House (“President Trump”!), eight years worth of unprecedented progress on climate change mitigation and conservation could be rolled back.

What worries environmentalists most is Trump’s call for reneging on the landmark Paris climate accord which secured commitments from the world’s largest polluters to scale back emissions. The agreement just went into force and the U.S. is committed to it for four years, but Trump insiders report The Donald may try to submit the agreement for ratification by an unsympathetic Senate (Obama has maintained ratification isn’t necessary) in efforts to derail U.S. participation.

“If Trump yanks the United States out of the Paris agreement, the deal won’t die, but momentum could wane,” reports Brad Plumer on Vox.com. “One can imagine China and India deciding they don’t need to push nearly as hard on clean energy if the world’s richest and most powerful country doesn’t care. At best, progress would slow. At worst, the entire arrangement could collapse, and we set out on a path for 4°C warming or more.”

Meanwhile, United Nations Environment Programme head Erik Solheim insists that the vast majority of signatory nations would continue to honor their commitments under the Paris agreement regardless of Trump’s actions.

“The drive for change is unstoppable,” Solheim told the Washington Post. “The world will continue to move, whatever happens.” While he acknowledges that Americans pulling out would weaken the agreement, he adds that Americans themselves will suffer as a result of the loss of business opportunities that cleaner energy promises.

Another sore spot for environmentalists is Trump’s attitude towards the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Initially The Donald said he would disband the agency, but more recently he said he would keep it in a stripped down form refocused on its “core mission of ensuring clean air, and clean, safe drinking water for all Americans.”

“Myron Ebell, a climate skeptic who is running the EPA working group on Trump’s transition team, is seen as a top candidate to lead the agency,” reports Politico. “Ebell, an official at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, has come under fire from environmental groups for his stances on global warming.”

Environmentalists are already starting to refocus on what they can do without the support of the White House. For his part, Vox’s Plumer hopes that ambitious existing climate policies in big states like California and New York could be so successful that other states follow suit, rendering federal climate action immaterial. Plumer also is keeping his fingers crossed that increasingly cheaper prices on wind and solar power and electric cars could bring down emissions domestically even without the help of the Trump administration.

“Climate activists will continue to push for action at local levels — much as they did during the George W. Bush years, when the Sierra Club began blocking a major planned expansion of coal power,” says Plumer. “It’s possible that opposition to Trump will galvanize a new generation of climate activists who find new, creative ways to address the problem.”

Kate Colwell, an activist with the non-profit Friends of the Earth, concurs that environmentalists and advocacy groups will have to play an increasingly larger role in pushing Americans towards greater restraint in terms of burning fossil fuels. “Under President George W. Bush, the environmental community took the battle to the courts and Congress and watchdogged political appointees; we blocked attacks on the environment; we galvanized the public to take action,” said Colwell. “After the more recent fights to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, ban fracking and shut down coal plants, the environmental movement is stronger than we have ever been.”

“We will have to harness our new energy, join together, and use every strategy possible to fight against hate and greed and environmental destruction,” she added. “While I wish we had a different fight before us, we must fight the one presented to us. The future of our country and planet depends on it.”

]]>https://earthtalk.org/president-trump-now-environmentalists-really-worried/feed/016245Oil Junkies of the 21st Century: It’s Time to Wean Off Fossil Fuelshttps://earthtalk.org/oil-junkies/
https://earthtalk.org/oil-junkies/#respondWed, 09 Nov 2016 19:26:14 +0000http://earthtalk.org/?p=16248Author C.J. Quinn takes to the Soap Box and wonders why we must continue to create environmental catastrophes in order to provide energy for our planet...

Energy is America’s most controversial issue to hit the 21st century. Currently, our dependency on oil is greater than ever. We use this non-renewable resource on a daily basis. In fact, oil, accounts for the largest percentage of the worlds energy consumption. At 30 billion barrels of oil per year. This is 2.5 billion barrels of oil per month on average. We use oil to heat and cool our homes, for transportation and to operate our factories and machines. Carbon and hydrogen molecules that have been dormant for millions of years are syphoned out of the earth’s crust and made into liquid gold.

The recent fuel pipeline explosion that took place in Alabama on Monday, October 31, 2016, is still burning. Colonial Pipeline, based out of Atlanta, owns that pipeline. It supplies the entire region from New York down to the Gulf Coast where it starts. This pipeline supplies 40 percent of refined fuels to this area. Due to this accident, the cost of gasoline has shot up for all of the people in that region. The pipeline continues to burn and so far as much as 168,000 gallons of gasoline are in flames. According to the Associated Press this is their 178th accident since 2006.

Oil transportation is a risky business. Accidents frequently happen whether the oil is in a pipe flowing through the ground, on a train, on a truck or is being carried through the oceans on a ship. Error is bound to happen. It is just when and to what extent of a natural disaster are we going to face. According to the list of pipeline accidents in the United States in the year 2015 alone, there were 35 accidents. A total of 17 states where accidents occurred, 267,880 gallons of crude oil lost and caused $4,480,364 in property damage. There were 5 deaths and 21 injured. The annual number of accidents on oil and petroleum pipelines has shot up almost 60 percent, matching the rise in crude oil production.

Another pipeline that is getting lots of attention at the moment is the Dakota Access Pipeline. Energy Transfer owns the Dakota Access Pipeline. They are in the process of building a 1,172-mile pipeline that begins in North Dakota, crosses through South Dakota, into Iowa and ends up in Illinois. It is proposed to transport one million barrels a day of crude oil. It is a $3.7 billion project. Last year the investors of Energy Transfer received a cash distribution of $3.2 billion, with Warren, the Founder, having a net worth of $7.3 billion.

The pipeline is currently being constructed on Native American land, owned by the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The tribe claims that if the Dakota Access Pipeline bulldozes through that 38 miles of their reservation that it will destroy their sacred burial and prayer sites, along with their artifacts. They also want to protect the Missouri River from spills of any sort, due to it being the main water source in the area. Just last January there was a spill in Montana from a pipeline that leaked 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River. The tribe is trying to prevent an accident from destroying their water source.

Currently there are two million miles of pipeline in operation across the United States. The practice of moving crude oil around in underground pipelines presents challenges. Energy Transfer has had 30 pipeline incidents between 2006-2016. They spilled a total of 9,565 barrels and paid $9,562,035 in property damages. In 2016 alone, Energy Transfer had five incidences, with 7,832 barrels spilled and $2,406,472 in property damages.

We need to begin the process of weaning ourselves off of the fossil fuels. Our planet earth is suffering. “It is a fact that oil and natural gas sector is the second-highest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions,” stated the Environmental Protection Agency. The fracturing and fracking is a major component of this industry. 225 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are emitted a year into our atmosphere. Greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere, making the earth warmer. Scientists call this global climate change, when the average temperature of earth increases. Scientific consensus on climate change is that all major science agencies in the U.S. including NASA, NOAA and the EPA “agree that climate change is occurring and humans contribute to it.” Climate change is at an unusually rapid rate in the year 2016. Compared to 2,000 years ago, global temperatures have risen quite significantly over the last 100 years. This is projected to continue changing at a faster pace than any other time in history. The global sea levels have risen 7.5 inches on average since 1870. Our seas are predicted to rise by 1-4 inches if this warming trend continues at this speed.

Global warming could have far bigger implications than we could handle. It could affect our crops. If it gets too hot to grow certain crops with lesser amounts of water to grow the crops, then this balance is out of order. Our water sustains us. Warmer weather means more droughts and less water. We will have power outages and black outs. The snowmelt fills our lakes, rivers, and streams. We could have less snowpack, earlier snowmelt and reduced water supplies. This would also affect recreation in the mountains for skiing, snowboarding, and all the businesses that depend on the snow. Our plants are growing and blooming earlier in the spring and surviving longer in the fall. One quarter of our plants could become extinct. The animals need the plants to live, so they are going to be affected. Just losing one species kicks our balance off and could affect our predators, pollinators and sources of shelter. Then there is ocean acidification. Our coral reefs, which are created by millions of tiny animals called corals, make skeletons and provide habitat for many fish and other ocean creatures. The warmer temperatures in the ocean are creating coral bleaching, which is damage to the corals. These shallow tropical waters could lose all of the live corals by 2050 if we continue on this path. This in turn will disrupt the food web that connects all living things in the ocean.

Humans have a difficult time comprehending nature on a cerebral level, it is immeasurable. We experience the ‘awe’ of it in our day to day living. Sunsets, rainbows, whales, elephants, ancient trees, or a rose, all of those ordinary experiences are extraordinary. In order to combat global warming and keep our planet free from disaster we must wean ourselves away from damaging energy and step into the renewable resources that are out there such as wind and solar power, and electric vehicles. We must pay attention to all of the incredible minds out there that are inventing the next, best and cleanest energy.

Must we continue to create environmental catastrophes in order to provide energy for our planet? Humans thrive on progress, but at what price are we paying to progress only with one energy source that is unsustainable and toxic.

Listen! I cannot hear you! Did you say something about your home, your planet? I still can’t hear you. The noise of commerce cancels out your cry.

We, the people, are crying out. We shout out for help, but it seems to only arrive after the damage is done. We are filled up and overflowing. Our crying has become wailing, but still we aren’t heard.

C.J. Quinn is the author of Talia and the Capture of Wrath, a middle grade fantasy novel that raises environmental awareness. She currently resides in Bainbridge Island, WA with her family. Learn more at www.cjsoulwriter.com.

]]>https://earthtalk.org/oil-junkies/feed/016248Chernobyl Wildlife Thriving 30 Years Laterhttps://earthtalk.org/chernobyl-wildlife/
https://earthtalk.org/chernobyl-wildlife/#respondThu, 03 Nov 2016 20:22:50 +0000http://earthtalk.org/?p=16224These days, wildlife is thriving around the site of the nuclear reactor meltdown at Chernobyl in the Ukraine three decades ago. Biologists say the lack of people in the "Exclusion Zone" thirty kilometers around reactor has made it easier for the animals that did survive — and their progeny — to now flourish.

]]>Dear EarthTalk: How has wildlife been affected around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in Russia three decades ago?

—Walter Scinto, Hartford, CT

The Chernobyl disaster confirmed everyone’s worst nightmares about the awesome power of nuclear reactions. When the Ukrainian reactor collapsed, the radioactive fallout profoundly contaminated the surrounding environment, affecting any living beings located within the so-called “Exclusion Zone” of 30 kilometers around the reactor’s shell. Acute radiation poisoning annihilated a large pine stand, since renamed “the Red Forest,” while many animals suffered significant physical or mental abnormalities.

These days, wildlife is thriving around the site of the nuclear reactor meltdown at Chernobyl in the Ukraine three decades ago. Credit: NASA.

Invertebrates in the area suffered particularly dramatic population crashes, as most radioactive material resides in the topsoil layer where such insects survive and reproduce. Even apparently healthy wildlife was forbidden from resale because of the dangerous levels of radioactivity. The dangers of radiation led to a government-mandated eviction of the radioactive territory soon after the 1986 explosion.

However, 30 years of isolation from humans has proven to be the most beneficial consequence of the disaster. After the initial devastation of the radioactive fallout, species began to adapt to the higher levels of radiation. Indeed, species diversity and populations are actually healthier now than in most other forests in Eastern Europe. This recognition from the Ukrainian government led to the Exclusion Zone’s establishment as one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Europe in 2007. Some rare and endangered species, including lynx and the European bison, have returned to the area and can be found in higher densities than in radiation-free forests. Even the Przewalski’s Horse, extinct in the area and artificially reintroduced to the Exclusion Zone in the 1990s, has flourished; the population has reached stability and is even starting to spread out beyond the protective fencing of the Zone.

The question remains of how these animals are able to sustain such high levels of radiation without succumbing to its deadly effects. Recent studies of the Chernobyl region by wildlife biologists Anders Pape Møller and Timothy Mousseau have identified serious consequences of radiation, even within thriving populations. Mutations among affected Exclusion Zone species include higher rates of cataracts, partial albinism, and physical variation. However, it appears the deadly mutations took their toll on populations immediately. Subsequent surviving generations have shown amazing adaptability.

Møller and Mousseau conclude that while radiation is inarguably bad for the environment, its impact on wildlife is far overshadowed by the effects of typical human development. While no one would have wished for the Chernobyl meltdown, environmentalists point out the silver lining of being able to monitor wildlife population in the absence of human populations and activities.

Chernobyl is a primary example of ecosystem resilience as capable of overcoming radioactive devastation — and can teach us all a lesson about the importance of setting aside at least some wild areas just for wildlife. Furthermore, the experiences at Chernobyl and in the intervening years illustrate the benefits of preservation over conservation. While conservationists encourage sustainable use of natural resources as optimal for wildlife health, Chernobyl shows the incredible benefits to wildlife of just leaving vast swaths of land alone and letting the animals just get on with their lives.

]]>The Lindbergh Foundation’s Air Shepherd program, developed to protect elephants and rhinos from poaching by using drones, announced last week that Air Shepherd drone teams will increase patrols to look for poachers during the day who are poisoning watering holes in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. The operations are part of Air Shepherd’s collaboration with WWF.

Air Shepherd is using drones to monitor poachers in Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.

Air Shepherd teams typically fly drones at night when poachers operate under the cover of darkness. In Zimbabwe, where watering holes are being poisoned with cyanide, Air Shepherd teams will now also monitor during the day looking for any human activity near watering holes. The drones allow more land to be patrolled than what can be covered by on-the-ground park rangers. Suspicious activity picked up by Air Shepherd drone operators is reported to park rangers who will then intercept the criminals.

Running rivers in Hwange National Park have not existed in more than 100 years and during the dry season there is no water other than what is pumped in by the park. This creates a unique situation where elephants then congregate around these 60-80 watering holes making them easy targets—other animals are collateral damage as the poisoning lays waste to whole ecosystems. Once a watering hole is poisoned, all a poacher has to do is quietly wait for elephants to die an agonizing death before hacking off its tusks. It is likely in some cases that the elephants are still alive when tusks are removed.

Experts believe this method of killing will continue to grow because it is “not noisy” and cyanide is easy to come by as it is used in the gold mining industry which is prevalent in Africa.

“Historically, there has been little ability for anti-poaching operations to work at night,” said Otto Werdmuller Von Elgg, head of drone operations for Air Shepherd. “You can’t see tracks, it’s difficult to see people and it’s dangerous because the anti-poaching teams can walk onto elephants, rhinos or buffaloes. Our night-time operations change the game in favor of the elephants and in the case of Zimbabwe we are in a unique position to help monitor the park during the day to spot poachers who are using cyanide.”

The Lindbergh Foundation’s Air Shepherd program is unprecedented and is proving to be highly effective with drone teams having flown in South Africa and currently in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Air Shepherd drones run by UAV and Drone Solutions, Lindbergh Foundation’s principal partner—use a sensing device with thermal imaging allowing operations at night when poachers operate. The electric drones fly at distances of up to 40 km for missions that last up to three and a half hours allowing for maximum land coverage. Due to drone regulations around the world, very few are allowed to fly beyond the line of site—Air Shepherd teams are licensed to do so.

Developed by the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation, the Air Shepherd program is using drones and data analytic capabilities to protect rhinos and elephants in Africa. Using sophisticated three-aircraft operating teams that work with rangers on the ground, drones are flown over high probable poaching areas, allowing rangers to intercept suspects before a poaching incident can take place. A 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation, the Lindbergh Foundation has dedicated more than 35 years to sustaining the Lindbergh legacy—using technology to help balance the effects of human development on the environment. For more information and to donate, please visit www.AirShepherd.org.

]]>https://earthtalk.org/air-shepherd-drones-battle-poachers/feed/016184The Power of Being Lost in the Wildernesshttps://earthtalk.org/lost-in-the-wilderness/
https://earthtalk.org/lost-in-the-wilderness/#commentsSun, 30 Oct 2016 22:47:42 +0000http://earthtalk.org/?p=16177Hannah Owen discusses the power of being lost in the wilderness: it enlivens your senses and puts your skills to the test.

Scientists say that the human brain of today has evolved only marginally from the brain of our cave dwelling ancestors of 30,000 years ago. Could this explain our sometimes random impulses to seek out danger? We have a primal mind that requires stimulation after all.

This Spring, a friend and I hiked across the Seven Rila lakes a few hours from the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. On our descent we took an unplanned alternative route back to the chairlift that left at 4 pm with no exceptions, we’d been repeatedly told. By 3:40 we were two mountain tops away, the chair lift was a speck in the distance and the adrenaline kicked in. Visions of being stranded in the wolf and bear laden lands engulfed our minds and we leaped across the rocky terrain and propelled ourselves with force across waterfalls that we’d previously dithered over. It was the most exhilarated I’d felt since I walked into the Amazon alone one year previously. It was wild, we were baron, free and vulnerable. All we had were our senses and our speed. And, we made it.

George Monbiot, in his book Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea, and Human Life, talks of a Dutch agricultural technician that came to work in the oilfields in the Brazilian rainforest, “Here was a man who had leapt over the edge, who had abandoned comfort and certainty for a life of violent insecurity. His chances of coming out alive, solvent and healthy were slight. But I was not convinced that he had made the wrong choice.” He explores the rewilding phenomenon, not only of the wilderness but of our domesticated and over-civilised spirit.

Now, we’re not all destined to be heroic thrill seekers, sometimes my thrill seeking goes as far as cycling the longer, less lit route through the park at night instead of the conveniently lit high street. Daring or not, these experiences awaken our starved senses and they teach us in a unique and spellbinding way.

Being lost in nature teaches you to stay calm in the face of danger. To think on the spot. To be totally and wholly in tune with your surroundings. It teaches us to control our nerves. And to overcome challenges – whether it be an icy passage, rocky mountain or a flowing river – when we triumph it leaves us feeling empowered. It builds the awareness in us that we can overcome challenges in our day to day lives too. It allows us to go above our nerve. “If your nerve deny you, go above your nerve,” wrote Emily Dickinson.

City dwelling provides us with a plethora of cultural activities to awaken our senses. Art, dance, sport, comedy, the list is endless. Buzz and action fill our life whilst nature sits quietly by, so its easy to forget it. Yet, to reach a state of wellbeing a holistic approach is recommended and what could be more natural, more right than learning from what evolved alongside us or millennia before us.

By succumbing to it we let nature roll its magic over our souls and we gain access to its earthly age-old wisdom.

Meander, wonder, find yourself lost and follow in the wise words of William Wordsworth: “Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher.”